Wild duck tests positive for bird flu

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has tested more than 24,000 birds across the nation through the fall, and only one tested positive for Eurasian avian influenza, in a wild duck killed in Morrow County.

In a prepared release, APHIS states that the bird tested positive for H5 influenza, but states it could not determine the exact strain of the viruses or if they are highly pathogenic. The mallard duck was killed by a hunter in November. Because the service could not determine the strain, it does not know if the flu is capable of infecting domestic poultry.

APHIS plans on testing a total of 40,000 wild birds through July 1, 2016. Samples are being collected from both hunter-harvested birds and from wild birds that are found dead for other reasons.